Monday, June 28, 2010

The author of this article Nandini Sundar is also the author of Subalterns and Sovereigns: An Anthropological History of Bastar 1854-2006.

If the security forces can treat dead women like hunting trophies, not only trussing their bodies to poles, but taking pride in displaying their kill, is it surprising that their behaviour towards the living is so atrocious?

"After every deadly attack by the Maoists, ‘civil society actors’ are summoned by TV channels to condemn the incident, substituting moral indignation for news analysis. And yet, the same media is strangely silent on police or paramilitary atrocities against civilians."

On June 9, The Hindu published stories of rapes in and around Chintalnar in Dantewada by special police officers (SPOs) of the Chhattisgarh government. To my knowledge, no one’s asked P. Chidambaram, Raman Singh or the Chhattisgarh DGP to condemn these incidents or even asked what they are going to do about it. These are people in positions of power, who are elected or paid to uphold the Constitution, and the ‘buck stops with them’, not with ordinary citizens.

If channels can run all-day programmes on justice for Ruchika Girhotra, why not for the adivasi girls who were raped and assaulted in and around Chintalnar between May 26-28? Is it because they are not middle class and their plight will not raise TRP ratings? Or because they are considered ‘collateral damage’ in the war between “India” and the “Maoists”—who, not being part of “India”, are presumably from outer space—that TV commentators advocate?

While rape is often described as a weapon of war, it is not uniformly practised, and indeed nothing distinguishes the two parties in a guerrilla war more than their attitude to rape. In her careful analysis of sexual violence during civil war, the political scientist Elizabeth Woods points out that while it was common in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda and Sierra Leone, sexual assault was less frequent in El Salvador, Sri Lanka and Peru. In the latter cases, the vast majority of rapes were committed by the government or paramilitaries, this also being a primary reason why women were motivated to join the insurgents. The rebel armies—who carried out other violent acts, including the killing of civilians—almost never committed sexual violence, including against female combatants in their own ranks. In Mizoram, women recalling the regrouping and search operations of the 1960s described only rapes by Indian soldiers and none by the Mizo National Front. One said to me, “It is as if the vai (outsider) army was hungry for women.” Today, despite government claims that the Maoists sexually exploit young women, the distinction between insurgent and counter-insurgent is clear for the women of Dantewada. They are safe from one army (the PLGA) but not from the other (the Indian paramilitary and SPOs/police). And in any war to win hearts and minds (‘WHAM’), surely this is not an unimportant distinction.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Today,the C.P.I(Maoist) is carrying out a major movement In the areas of Jharkhand, Bihar and Dandkaraya. Without doubt they have committed serious errors and have serious theoretical flaws, but any Maoist critique must applaud their effort.To have created such bastions of revolutionary struggle in Andhra Pradesh,Jharkhand,Bihar and Dandkaranya is an achievement of historical proportions. In Lalgarh they made great efforts to enhance the movement.Base areas have yet to be created but with great tenacity they have defended their guerilla zones. The fact that they have heroically resisted the enemy forces f or a period of 30 years and form a Central Peoples Guerilla army to become the strongest Maoist party in the World when no Socialist Country in the World exists and when the forces of globalization are acting as tentacles is one of the greatest achievements in the annals of the world Communist Movement.

The merger of the Maoist Communist Centre of India with the Peoples War group was s a remarkable event as Earlier the erstwhile C.P.I.M.L (Peoples War) and Erstwhile C.P.I. (M.L) Party Unity (Before and after they united in 1998) insisted that the 1969 Charu Mazumdar C P.I.M.L. was the re-organised party and not just a revolutionary organization. Now both the Charu Mazumdar C.P.I. (M.L) and the Maoist Communist Centre are recognized as the 2 original revolutionary parties... The most outstanding work of the Maoists has been in Chhattisgarh where they have been able to create alternative democratic Organs..In Lalgarh they merged with the masses like fish in water literally swimming with the tide. Above all they are now working with an All-India perspective spreading all over like wildfire.

History

Earlier Some historic meetings and rallies took place of mass fronts led by such forces like the rally of the 1992 and 1994 rallies of the All-India Peoples Resistance Forum ,the 2000 conference of the A.I.P.R.F., The All-India Revolutionary Student Federation conferences In 1985,1989,1993 ad 1997,as well as the 1985 and 1990 conferences of the Andhra Pradesh Rytu Coolie Sanghams.(Peasnts organization)Almost 4 lakh peasants assembled for the Rytu Coolie Sangham conferences and on the day it looked like a red flame burning all over the place.The ‘Go to-Village campaigns of the Andhra Pradesh Radical Students Union will also have a permanent place in history where students integrated with the revolutionary peasant struggles for the first time..The author will never forget the 1994 A.I.P.R.F.rally in Calcutta where the gathering of the road masses looked like a tornado appearing and the 1997 All-India Seminar in Mumbai on the sham of 50 years of independence. It dealt with all aspects from Democratic Rights to anti Imperialist, to revolutionary Peasant Struggles, Working Class Struggles and Nationality Struggles. What was also unforgettable was their All-India campaign against state repression in Andhra,Bihar and Dandkaranya in 1999,mainly in Bihar and Punjab.They covered area after area like a river flowing and literally lighting a torch against state repression. In earlier phase in Andhra Pradesh(erstwhile Peoples War group) it brilliantly braved the State forces inspite of intensive repression in Andhra Pradesh in 1985 and 1991 A powerful Students and peasants Movement was built and the mass organizations heroically survived working underground in conditions of repression.A series of conferences were staged by fronts combating severe repression. The erstwhile Party Unity group built revolutionary mass movements in a huge range of spheres from Democratic Rights,to land distribution, minimum wages,struggle for fishing rights , International issues, protests against Communalism. Etc.which spread from in Jehanabad and Palamau to other areas like Bhagalpur Gaya,etc....Inspite ofa ban on the their peasant organization, Mazdur Kisan Sangram Samiti, the organization resurrected itself to work under the banner of the Mazdur Kisan Sangrami Parishad.

The Maoist Communist centre survived for 35 years against the onslaught of the Indian State with phenomenal tenacity in Bihar and Jharkhand conducting a series of military actions comparable to the intensity of that of the Chinese Communist Party and foming revolutionary peasant committees..It did remarkable work in building the Nari Mukti Sangh-a classical Revolutionary women’s Front It’s final merger into the C.P.I(Maoist) is a historical achievement.

Defective mass revolutionary approach and military line.

Several Inter-Group Clashes occurred in the early and mid-1990’sbetween the People`s War Group and other groups like the Chandra Pulla ReddyGroup. where the masses were reduced to helpless spectators.Armed Squads combated members from other groups struggling to maintain their bases!This was an incorrect approach to the question of mass line and politicalStruggle.One Group always feared the entry of another group in their area of work..Later the same trend was reflected in clashes between the M.C.C and the erstwhile Party Unity Groups in Bihar. The The major hurdle of historical importance in the revolutionary movement was the period of armed Group clashes between the squads of the Maoist Communist Centre with the Party Unity Group from the mid 1990-s. Group members attacked and killed each other.It showed the wrong understanding towards mass revolutionary line in certain aspects.This had a damaging effect on the revolutionary movement.It reduced the masses to helpless spectators.Peoples War Group mantained that cadres from other groups were killed on entirely tactical grounds and they were not clashes in their statements and documents’

At the conclusion of the decade of the 1990’s 3 important leaders of the People’s war Group were slain in a police encounter. A massive anti-repression programme took place in Andhra Pradesh in December 1999.Such Comrades were truly the best sons of the land heroically laying down their lives for liberation.Various communist Revolutionary Groups belonging to various groups participated...The People`s War Group launched retaliatory Actions to give a severe blow to the Indian State.After the armed Actions the People`s War Group made a self-critical assesment stating"Even when there were ample opportunities to educate and involve the People,our cadres only resorted to protest actions.These are incorrect actions.Because of non-participation of people in such actions,the outcome of such actions, is contrary to the impact we wanted"Thus this group was not aware that such armed actions of Party Guerilla Squads,by themselves cannot succeed in their basis and ultimate objective of defeating the reactionary State.In fact the people have to own such actions and voluntarily participate in them with revolutionary political Consciousness and confidence in their own organised strength.Even in the post encounter Joint Protests the leading rank of the People`s War Group remained pre-occupiedwith either the representative team protests or armed retaliatory actions.-thus their organized attempts for militant mass attempts for militant mass political mobilisations remained Sparse. True the C.P.I.Maoist has mass support in major areas in Bihar, Jharkhand and Dandakaranya , has guerilla zones in some respects similar to those of the Chinese Revolutionary period during their armed struggle and have carried out magnificient retaliatory actions in self defence against enemies-t(particularly in Chattisgarh by the P.G.A.) and been the only revolutionary Organization to have ever seriously attempted protracted Peoples Warfare in recent times. However their pockets of revolutionary resistance are dictated by their Armed squads. Even if they partially integrate with mass movements armed squads often are used to give shelter to mass organizations and replace peoples independent actions. They are losing more and more cadre day by day and are unable to consistently replace the fighting forces lost..In West Bengal,Jharkhand and Chattisharh retaliatory actions took place in retaliation of torture and killing of mass sympathizers and cadres, like the blowing up of a police jeep or landmining and killing innocent people .In revolutionary struggle ethics is an important question and revolutionary violence does not justify the killing of innocent people. The C.P.I.(Maoist)have eliminated may people suspected of being police informers who could have been innocent on grounds of their safety.In the authors view this is violation of revolutionary ethics.Base areas and Guerilla Zones

It must be noted that nowhere in Andhra Pradesh,Dandkaranya,Jharhand or Bihar has any struggle been developed even half as strong as the Telengana armed struggle.. Quoting the eminent intellectual and critique of Naxalite Movement Sumanta Banerjee ‘It should be pointed out however that despite their survival for almost four decades, the Naxalites do not yet control any large area comparable to the `liberated zone' that the Chinese Communists could establish in Yenan within a decade or so in the 1930-40 period. They have not been able to reach out to the masses of the peasantry in the vast countryside of other parts of India, and have expanded only to a few isolated pockets and stretches of areas inhabited mainly by tribal and landless poor. Closeted in their rural underground shelters, the Naxalite leaders have ignored the task of setting up bases among the large number of workers both in the organized industrial and the unorganized sectors. They have also failed to build up a regular army like the Chinese People's Liberation Army, or the Vietnamese military organization – that helped both the Chinese and the Vietnamese to effectively fight their enemies.. The failure to establish a `liberated zone' has frustrated their original strategy of setting up an alternative order to bring about agrarian and social reforms. Instead, all their energies are now devoted to defensive actions to preserve their pockets of influence, and offensive assaults which are degenerating into acts of terrorism against soft targets like village headmen or junior government employees.’ In the author’s view the military line has shades of Che Guevera’s focoist tendency.. Historically there is a difference between revolutionary base areas and guerilla zones.Quoting Mao’s writings on military line, “When guerilla Warfare began,the guerillas could not completely occupy the places ,but could only make frequent raids,,they are areas which are held by the guerilla forces when they are present and the by the puppet regime when they are gone.Thus they are not guerilla bases but zones.Thse zones can be converted into bases by consolidating guerilla warfare and after large portions of enemy troops have been annihilated,and the puppet regime destroyed..The mass organsiations also formed as well as peoples local armed forces.The extent to which the enemy is destroyed is the vital factor.“ The C.P.I. (Maoist). in implementation of line often confused the difference between forming a guerilla zone and a base area. Today the trend is similar. In their zones they retaliate and defend their areas through their guerilla squad actions and are not able to replenish their losses. They do not have sufficient support of the broad masses. There is insufficient development of mass agrarian revolutionary struggle and revolutionary democratic movement.A maoist mass military line has not been built.For many a action there is lack of adequate preparation of agrarian revolutionary Movement. What was defective was the nature of squad actions not properly evaluating the co-relation of the enemy with the masses..Over-emphasis has been placed on armed struggle without combining effective mass struggles. To a considerable extent the military actions reflect anarchist tendencies and have not adhered to a the maoist mass military line Today it’s all India Front the Revolutionary Democratic Front can hardly function openly like the A.I.P.R.F could earlier.I t has been dealt a severe blow In states like Orissa and West Bengal,and is for all moral purposes banned in states of armed movementS.Unable to withstand the counter-onslaught of the state the mass organizations of such groups were virtually crushed and forced to function underground.Now mass struggle is completely substituted by armed Struggle.They have not created the level of preparation for armed struggle which was done In the Telengana Armed Struggle of 1946-1951 where work was initiated in the Andhra Mahasabha ,or in the 1924-1927 period in China where Peasant associations were formed and a base was built for mass agrarian revolutionary Movement.,or even the preparation period for he launching of armed struggles i Phillipines or Peru I the periods of 1959-1968 a 1968-1980 respectively.A lthough M.C.C built a classically Red Defence corpses ,there was hardly adequate development of agrarian revolutionary Movement in many areas to launch all-out struggle against the State.Infact it almost totally neglected open mass work and did not even form a mass based peasant organization.Similarly although Andhra Pradesh had a strong peasant Movement in the late 1970’s often even in the stage before armed Struggle was officially launched in 1980,acts of “Individual annihilation of the class enemy’ were initiated.Slogans were raised by the student Organisation not compatible with the mass consciousness.”The Party Unity group ‘”in Bihar although forming huge open fronts like the M.K.S.P or Bharat Naujavan Sabha were unable to devise a correct policy in attaching armed wings to peasant fronts.Today the Indian Red Army has been formed ,without the development of base areas or developed Agrarian Revolution.Even in the period of launching armed struggle the C.P.C. gave attention to the building of mass Movements.

Theoretical Weaknesses

On the trade Union Front the C.P.I.(Maoist) has not been able to form democratically functioning trade Unions and often has ended up giving political slogans of revolutionary Armed Struggle not compatible with the political capacity of broad sections of the Working Class.The Working class was not fully explained the link between their interests and the agrarian revolutionary movement but slogans glorifying heroes of Armed squads are raised by the Peoples War Group. The relationship of the movements in the towns with the major cities is like a bark of a tree with its branches. There are strong tendencies of forming mass organizations as front organisations.. Only when the major section of a mass organization accepts the politics of the revolutionary party can mass organizations function as front organisations.Although such sections have formed mass organizations there are still tendencies of confusing the mass organizations with the Party. Historically,the ideology of MaoTse Tung thought was introduced in manifestos of mass organisations, which was an erroneous tendency.This was true of organizations like Radical Students Union and All-India League for Revolutionary Culture.Although on the practical plane they lead a powerful mass democratic movement there is still not enough democratization as needed in a mass movement within a mass organisation.. Mass organisations were used as party platforms. Mao always stressed on separating the role of the mass organisations with the Party .He always stressed that The Chinese Communist Party had to be differentiated from the Youth league and the Peasants Associations. True major rallies have been led containing sympathizers but this is not necessarily mean that the mass line is being carried out..

They have also wrongly replaced the term ‘Maoism’ with ‘Mao Tse Tung Thought.’This is wrong understanding of the present era which is actually the era of ‘Leninism.’Even after the Chinese revolution it was called the “thought of Mao Tse Tung” and not ‘Maoism. Replacing Mao Tes Tung Thought with Maoism means replacing the era of Imperialism or Leninism .To the author this does not make a difference to the practical work but has an implication to the theoretical era.It is significant that C.P.I(Maoist) adopts the thesis that it is the era of the “total collapse of Imperialism”which was adopted by the Charu Mazumdar CPI(M.L) 40 years ago.The C.C.P,always mantained that it was the era of Leninism and Imperialism . A very important question is that of the International Line. and approach towards the formation of a Communist International.....Today the organization still maintains relations with the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement,which is defective.The R.I.M.is virtually defunct because it made hasty arrangements for he formation of a new Comunist International where the proletarian revolutionary development was most inadequate worldwide .

There is also an erroneous understanding with regards to the Dalit or scheduled caste movements. The Organization has not applied a correct class analytical study and often replaced class struggle with Caste Struggle.Dalit Parties which collaborate with Ruling Class politics have been supported like he Dalit Panther and Republican Party of India. The Dalit Mahasabha has been supported in Andhra Pradesh. Even In Bihar in the agrarian revolutionary movement there has been a strong tendency to support Ruling class Dalit Organisations.Killings have taken place often on caste line instead of implementing class struggle.)It is significant that even in earlier periods the organization (that time Peoples War Group) supported the 1989 Chinese Student Movement as well as the movements in East European Countries toppling the Revisionist Regimes in Eastern Europe in 1989 ,not taking into account the petit bourgeois nature of the agitations ,virtually devoid of proletarian content. Similarly they have supported nationality struggles devoid of proletarian content like the J.K.L.F.in Kashmir,L.T.T.E.in Sri Lanka, the U.L.F.A in Assam Etc.True they have correctly defended the right of nationalities to secede but have not analyzed that the nationality struggles are led by petit-bourgeois ideology . The C.P.I.Maoist regards itself as the re-organised Communist Party and that after the merger of C.P.I.M.L (Peoples War Group. with the Maoist Communist Centre the Proletarian party was formed.This is also wrong as there are other groups in in the revolutionary camp.Another erroneous tendency is accepting Election ‘boycott’as a strategic slogan and rejecting participation in election throughout the revolutionary Course.Even Comrades Lenin and Mao asserted that in certain situations participation in parliamentary elections could be tactically deployed.There has also been a trend in areas to impose the slogan of ‘Boycott the Election’,instead of stressing on ‘building the revolutionary organs of Peoples Power.”

Final Complement

One of the greatest tributes to the C.P.I.(Maoist)is the courage which they are displaying in openly projecting their struggles, line and policies in journals like Peoples March and on blogs on the internet.They have made an International stamp. ‘Peoples March’ has heroically combated the repression of the State and even come back after facing a ban. Such an open journal of serious revolutionary organization was unheard in the previous decades. It is not for nothing that they have won the hearts of people worldwide including intellectuals like Arundhati Roy or Amit Bhattacharya.

Great efforts have made to rectify the past errors and a serious plan to start urban work with mass-line approach has been launched. In areas where they have faced severe repression they have even floated effective platforms for survival. If they could extricate themselves from their wrong trends it may not be a long time before the India New Democratic Revolution would emerge.The manner in which they have combated the state repression in different junctures through organizing people’s court or famine raids was remarkable as well as their protests in term of armed actions or mass protests. .The C.P.I. (Maoist) is burning a red flame in the annals of International Communist History.

The POSCO- Orissa govt MoU is set to expire today, exactly five years after it was first signed. This MoU, which basically restricts the government's role to that of a mere "facilitator" for the project and an agency for land acquisition, is highly unethical and should not have been signed in the first place. Five years later, having witnessing the state's brutal repression of the local opposition to this project, and how the state has repeatedly flouted its own laws and policies regarding forest rights and enviromental protections, we must demand that this MoU not be renewed.

We write to express our concern at several violations of legal process in the approval of the POSCO project in Orissa, some of which we address below:

1. The Orissa government has violated the Forest Rights Act and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has chosen to ignore this illegal behavior.

The FRA, which came into force in January 2008, acknowledges the rights of all "forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes" (Section 2(c)) as well as "other traditional forest dwellers" who have for at least seventy-five years prior to December 13, 2005 "primarily resided in" and "depend on the forests or forest land for bona fide livelihood needs" (Section 2(o)). Application of the FRA is mandatory for the POSCO project because approximately three-fourths of the 4,000 acres sanctioned for the POSCO steel plant in Jagatsinghpur district is officially classified as forest land. Cultivation on this land has been the primary source of livelihood of local forest dwellers, most of whom have lived here for generations.

Section 4(5) of the FRA mandates that "no member of a forest dwelling Scheduled Tribe or other traditional forest dweller shall be evicted or removed from forest land under his occupation till the recognition (of rights) and verification procedure is complete”, and section 5 of the Act empowers Gram Sabhas to protect the forests and to "regulate access to community forest resources." Within three months after the notification of the FRA, the Gram Sabha of Dhinkia (one of the villages affected by the project), acting under the provisions of Section 6(1) of the FRA, passed a resolution inviting claims for individual and community property rights. Section 6(3) of the FRA requires the state government to constitute a sub-divisional level committee to examine the Gram Sabha resolution and enable a final decision, but the law was violated at this stage by the refusal of the sub-divisional officer to accept the claims filed by the Dhinkia Gram Sabha.

The MoEF initially followed the law and issued a circular in August 2009 to the effect that diversion of forest land for the POSCO project would have to wait until after the rights of the forest dwellers had been recognized and would still require approval by the relevant Gram Sabhas. However, in December 2009, the MoEF granted a conditional final clearance even though it was clear that the requirements of the law were not being met! Given that the Orissa government has routinely used violent force and coercion against its own citizens to clear the way for its “development” projects, the farcical MoEF clearance was essentially an invitation to the state government to use all the repressive means at its disposal to push people out of the way of the corporate giant wishing to exploit the state's resources.

2. The environmental clearance of the POSCO project is deeply flawed.

The POSCO project consists of three main parts -- a steel plant, a captive port at Paradeep and mining operations. However, POSCO applied for environmental clearance of the steel plant and the port separately, perhaps seeking to downplay the ecological impact of the entire project. The MoEF went along with the POSCO ruse and granted a conditional final clearance for the steel plant while also approving the captive port at Paradeep. The approval of the port was based on a highly flawed environmental impact assessment study (EIA) commissioned by the MoEF. The EIA fails to reliably estimate the port’s impact on air and surface water quality, nor does it address the cumulative impact of the steel plant and the port on people and the local ecosystem. Also missed in the EIA is the impact on livelihoods of the local people engaged in farming and fishing who lose their lands and access to the Jatadhari river mouth. The closure of the river mouth would make the region very vulnerable to flooding, another aspect that has been ignored in the EIA.

3. The Orissa government has unleashed large-scale violence to push through the POSCO project.

The POSCO project has faced serious resistance from the affected people ever since its Indian subsidiary signed an MoU with the Orissa government. Despite the grave livelihood threat that the project posed, opposition to the project has stayed well within the parameters of the law. However, the state has hardly functioned as a representative of the people and a custodian of its rights, and has worked more or less as a POSCO agent. In the process, it has torn the FRA to shreds and ridden roughshod over fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Indian constitution such as the right to life and freedom from torture. The numerous instances of rights violations reported against the police include beatings, arrests, shootings and torture of (suspected) anti-POSCO protestors as well as filing of false cases against them to limit their movement.

Earlier this year, Nuagaon, Dhinkia and Govindpur Gram Sabhas passed resolutions reasserting their rights under the FRA and rejecting the diversion of forest land – their primary source of livelihood – for the POSCO project. However, the environment ministry is yet to withdraw its conditional clearance, which, if not outrightly illegal certainly contravenes the spirit of the FRA. We strongly urge you to ensure proper implementation of the FRA and put into action your oft-stated goal of participatory and inclusive development. Toward this end, we also urge you to not renew the POSCO MoU when it expires on June 22, 2010.

As per the information that is available from the civil rights activists and concerned citizens the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners demands the immediate production of Mr. Varanasi Subramanyam, a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist) party, before a court of law. Since the evening of 16.06.2010 it is reported that he has remained without any trace of his whereabouts. Further there is information as per the statement of revolutionary poet Vara Vara Rao that he missed an appointment at Badayun Western UP on the 17 June 2010 evening. And every effort to get in touch with Mr. Varanasi Subramnayam on the 18, 19 and 20 of June 2010 has failed.

Given the track record of the Central Intelligence and AP Special Intelligence agencies we at the CRPP are concerned for the life of Mr. Varanasi Subramanyam as there is a real threat that he may be eliminated. We strongly demand that he be produced before a court of law and allowed access to a lawyer of his choice. Only this can guarantee his right to be immune to mental and physical torture.

We also attach the statement issued by Vara Vara Rao on 20.06.10.

In Solidarity,

Gurusharan Singh

President

Amit Bhattacharyya

Secretary General

SAR Geelani

Working President

Rona Wilson

Secretary Public Relations

Statement from Varavara Rao

Produce Varanasi Subramanyam a Central Committee member of theCPI (Maoist) Party before a court of law immediately!

The Central and State governments are responsible for his life!

With great concern let me bring to the notice of the media the news that I received from the CPI (Maoist) party about the disappearance of Varanasi Subramanyam one of their Central Committee members since the evening of 16.06.2010 after 7 pm. Since then Varanasi Subramanyam has remained incommunicado with the rest of the party. He was supposed to be there in Badayun in Western UP on the 17.06.2010 in the evening.

There also he missed the appointment. The CPI (Maoist) party is concerned that there is threat to his life as he might have been arrested by the police. While sharing the concern of the CPI (Maoist) party I strongly demand that State with Home Minister Chidambaram should act responsibly like a country that respects its laws and produce him before a court of law as he has gone missing since the evening of 16 June 2010.

I was informed that he was not traceable on 17, 18 and 19 June despite many efforts by his comrades.

The arrest of Varanasi Subramanyam has been a joint operation of the Central Intelligence Bureau and the AP SIB. Varanasi Subramanyam aged 55 years who is popular among the oppressed masses as , Srikant, Aman, Saroj, Vikas hails from Malkapuram in Prakasham District.

As a student he read law in the University of Andhra. During his student days, inspired by the revolutionary peasant struggles of Shrikakulam and Telangana he joined the Radical Students’ Union (RSU). Later he rose to become the president of RSU.

After reading his law he also practiced as an advocate in the Visakhapatnam bar under Rachakonda Viswanatha Shastri, the popular Telugu writer known as Raavi Shastri.

But he was not someone who would be content with a life as a lawyer. His unflinching commitment for the cause of the poor made him reach out to the coal miners of Singareni. Little wonder he soon became a popular leader of the working class. The trade union that he organized under the banner Singareni Karmika Samakhya attracted hundreds of thousands of coal miners that it soon earned the wrath of the state. Soon a ban was imposed on this organization along with the then CPI (ML) (People’s War). He then shifted to North India.

The inordinate delay in producing Varanasi Subramanyam before the court is a blatant violation of his right to a lawyer of his choice, immunity against torture and worse a real threat to his life as the Andhra Pradesh police has been with impunity killing all the leaders of the CPI (Maoist) party hailing from the state.

I further call upon the central and state governments especially the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to act like statesmen when they are talking about a possible dialogue with the CPI (Maoist) party. It would end like yet another exercise of duplicity and hypocrisy if P. Chidambaram goes ahead with his brutal repression campaign against the CPI (Maoist) party and at the same time claim that he is serious about talks. He should use his office to ensure that Varanasi Subramanyam is produced before a court of law immediately.

Monday, June 21, 2010

PUDR strongly condemns the unwarranted arrests and detention of three members of a fact finding team investigating into the atrocities committed by the police and the paramilitary forces in Lalgarh on June 15, 2010. All three, Nisha Biswas, Kanishka Chowdhury and Manik Mondal, professionals working in Kolkata, have been charged with multiple false cases under various sections including waging war against the state, criminal conspiracy and unlawful assembly and have been remanded to judicial custody till 1st July. These arrests are a clear indication of the defiance that marks the attitude of the West Bengal government towards civil society and human rights groups, critical of the military operations in the name of fighting Maoism.

Over the past one year, Lalgarh has been literally been transformed into a zone of impunity for both security forces and the police. The most recent case of the encounter on Wednesday 16th June in the forest of Salboni in West Midnapore and the grotesque and inhuman display of the ‘catch’ by security personnel, is an indication of how the situation has worsened with time. There are questions that are already being raised about the nature of the encounter. It is strange that in a six hour long gun battle with Maoists in forest, the security forces suffered no casualty. It is equally reveling that all the suspected Maoists were in civilian dress. Besides this the suspected Maoist youth Rameshwar Murmu, whom the security forces had arrested was later confirmed to be suffering from serious mental illness. These are serious enough claims to dispute the state’s version of encounter.

Apart from a general demand for an end to the military offensive in Lalgarh, including the repeal of section 144, PUDR demands:

i. The immediate release and removal of all false charges against Nisha Biswas, Kanishka Chowdhury and Manik Mondal, and free and unrestricted access to civil society groups in future.

ii. Independent Enquiry into the June 15th encounter in Salboni block of West Midnapore,

iii. Punishment for those security personnel guilty of murder and breaching accepted norms of civilized behaviour, and

iv. Compensation for harassment caused to people detained and affected.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

The Maoist-backed Police Santrash Birodhi Janasadharaner Committee (PSBJC) on Friday called upon the people of Jangalmahal (the forested southwestern part of West Bengal) to “boycott” the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Jnaneswari Express derailment case. This follows the CBI declaring the outfit's spokesperson Asit Mahato one of the key conspirators in the derailment plan.

Meanwhile, the bandh called by the PSBJC in the Paschim Medinipur, Bankura and Purulia districts partially affected normal life, mainly in the forest fringe areas, with shops, schools and offices remaining closed and vehicles staying off the road.

The bandh was called in protest against the arrest of 13 persons, including three city-based “intellectuals,” from Mathurapur village of the Salboni block in Paschim Medinipur on June 15.

Though there was no report of any violence during the day, the region is expected to witness a similar shutdown on Saturday and Sunday as well, with the PSBJC observing “condemnation day” in protest against the completion of a year of the anti-Maoist security operations and the alleged atrocities perpetrated by security personnel and Communist Party of India (Marxist) cadres.

‘Shielding real culprits'

Reacting to the CBI's naming of Asit Mahato as one of the accused in the Jnaneswari case, Manoj Mahato, PSBJC central committee member, said the CBI was trying to shield the “actual conspirators.”

“We had initially welcomed the CBI for conducting an impartial investigation. But it is clear now that the Centre has no real intention of nabbing the real culprits and had ordered the CBI investigation only to pacify Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee. We appeal to all people to boycott this investigation as it is false,” Mr. Mahato told The Hindu over telephone from the Lalgarh region.

Alleging that the “real culprits” were leaders and supporters of the CPI(M), he said the accused will be “caught by the local people and punished according to the judgment delivered at a people's court.”

However, when asked if punishment meant execution, Mr. Mahato said that the PSBJC did not believe in violence and killing.

He added that the outfit will observe a “black day” on June 23 and 24 in protest against “the CBI falsely accusing Asit Mahato.”

Friday, June 18, 2010

We strongly condemn the detention and subsequent arrest of Nisha Biswas, Manik Mandal and Kanishka Choudhury, activists from Kolkata who were visiting Lalgarh to investigate the rampant human rights violation by the police and paramilitary forces in those areas.

The three activists, along with three print and electronic media journalists, had been visiting the Salboni-Lalgarh area since 14th June, documenting the atrocities and destruction wreaked by the joint state and central forces and the armed CPI(M) harmads who are backed by these same police forces.

On 15th June, all the six persons were detained by the joint forces from Lakshmanpur village in Salboni. Along with them around fifty villagers were also rounded up. Although the journalists were subsequently released, the three activists were charged, together with seven villagers who are activists of the Peoples’ Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), with violation of Sec. 144 of the Criminal penal code, which has been in force in Lalgarh for the past one year.

We learn with great concern that when they were produced in Midnapore court on 16th June, they were charged with multiple false cases under various sections including waging war against the state, criminal conspiracy and unlawful assembly, as a result of which they were denied bail and remanded to 14 days jail custody, although the original charge of violating Sec. 144 is a bailable one. We unequivocally condemn this blatantly illegal act of human rights violation by the police and demand the immediate release of the three persons.

This act by the police is also a marker of the situation in Lalgarh one year after the entry of the joint forces into the area. For the past one year, Sec. 144 has been in force in Lalgarh, which is unprecedented in the history of independent India. Members of civil society have not been allowed to enter Lalgarh during this time and repeated attempts have resulted in detentions and arrest by the police.

Lalgarh has become out of bounds for citizens of India, in complete violation of the fundamental right to the freedom of movement throughout the territory of India enshrined in the Constitution. In this situation, the area has seen unprecedented human rights violation by the state forces in the form of killings, rapes, beatings, looting of household goods, indiscriminate arrests and charging with false cases. dd

Together with this has been the rampage by the CPI(M) harmads, who have reenterd the area in the wake of the security forces. In this backdrop the normal economic and social life has completely broken down in the entire region. We note with profound concern that the behaviour of the CRPF and other state forces have been like that of a foreign occupying force, possibly worse, and provides a taste of what Operation Green Hunt is doing to the adivasis over the entire central Indian region.

We think that the latest arrests of the activists is the continuation of the intimidatory tactics by the government to break the resolve of civil society to stand beside the struggle of the adivasis of Lalgarh for dignity and justice, and demand their immediate release and the withdrawal of the joint forces from the region.

Brothers and sisters of the soul uniteWe are one indivisible and strongThey may try to break us but they dare not under estimate usThey know our memories are longA mass of sleeping villagesThat's how they're pitching itAt least that's what they try to pretendBut check out our historySo rich and revolutionaryA prophecy that we will rise againThat we will rise again...

Again and again until the land is oursAgain and again until we have taken the powerAgain and again until the land is oursAgain and again until we have taken the power

Deep in the forestHigh up in the mountainsTo the future we will take an oathLike springing tigers we encircle the citiesOur home is the undergrowthBecause I am just a naxalite warriorFighting for survival and equalityPolice man beating up me, my brother and my fatherMy mother crying can't believe this realityAnd we will rise againAnd we will rise again...

Again and again until the land is oursAgain and again until we have taken the powerAgain and again until the land is oursAgain and again until we have taken the power

Jump into the future dub zone

Roots rockers

And we have taken the powerAnd the land is oursAnd we have taken the powerAnd the land is oursAnd we have taken the powerAnd the land is oursAnd we have taken the powerAnd the land is oursIt's ours

Because I am just a naxalite warriorFighting for survival and equalityPolice man beating up me, my brother and my fatherMy mother crying can't believe this reality

Iron like a Lion from ZionThis one going all the youth, man and womanOrginal Master D upon the microphone standCater for no skeptical man- me no give a damn

Ami Bidrohi!I the rebel warriorI have risen alone with my head held highI will only restWhen the cries of the oppressedNo longer reach the skyWhen the sound of the sword of the oppressorNo longer rings in battleHear my warcry!

I'm here to teach you a lessonI'm here to torture your soulI'm the itch in your side that's got out of controlgonna prey on your conscienceYou'll be praying for forgivenessSeen all the evidenceNo longer need a witnessSo take my word manHere's my sentenceOne hundred thousand years of repentance.

Check my anger, it's realAin't no tokenI'll be satisfied only when your back's been brokenIt's my burning ambition to burn down your empireMan I'll be building you a funeral pyreThe fire in my eyesIf looks coulda killI won't be satisfied until I've had my fill.Check my anger, it's realAin't no tokenI'll be satisfied only when your back's been broken

Ami Bidrohi!I the rebel warriorI have risen alone with my head held highI will only restWhen the cries of the oppressedNo longer reach the skyWhen the sound of the sword of the oppressorNo longer rings in battleHear my warcry!

Repetitive beats beating against your skullI'll be striking you downTo the sounds of the wardrumThe doum!The doum of the dholTaking it's tollNull and void is what you've becomeAn underground army with my brothers and sistersHand to hand fightingBuilding up a resistanceRepetitive beats beating against your skullNull and void is what you've become

Ami Bidrohi!I the rebel warriorI have risen alone with my head held highI will only restWhen the cries of the oppressedNo longer reach the skyWhen the sound of the sword of the oppressorNo longer rings in battleHear my warcry!

A radical fusionStrange allianceThe siren and the flute in unisoncos it's a part of my missionTo break down divisionMental compartmentsPsychological prisons.

I'll be sowing the seeds of communityAccomodating every colour every needSo listen to my message and heed my warningI'm telling you knowHow a new age is dawning

Ami bidrohi!I the rebel warriorI have risen alone with my head held highI will only restWhen the cries of the oppressedNo longer reach the skyWhen the sound of the sword of the oppressorNo longer rings in battleHear my warcry!

Ami Bidrohi! Ami Bidrohi!Yes the unity of the Muslim and the HinduWill end your tyrannyAmi Bidrohi! Ami Bidrohi!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

“Right doctrinarism persisted in recognising only the old forms, and became utterly bankrupt, for it did not notice the new content. Left doctrinarism persists in the unconditional repudiation of certain old forms, failing to see that the new content is forcing its way through all and sundry forms, that it is our duty as Communists to master all forms, to learn how, with the maximum rapidity, to supplement one form with another, to substitute one for another, and to adapt our tactics to any such change that does not come from our class or from our efforts” (Lenin, “Left-wing” Communism: an Infantile Disorder) (Emphases ours).

Introduction

We are currently going through an important period in the history of class struggle in the world. In Britain, the past eight years have been marked by a rapid polarisation of the society between the ruling class and the people, emerging shortly before and during the occupation of Iraq, causing a palpable loss of ‘credibility’ of the ruling class and politicisation of the working class and the masses, particularly the youth.

Today, the objective situation indicates an accelerating rate of decay in all spheres of life, which is increasingly compelling the masses to seek a way out of the gradually more unstable living conditions. One example is the intensification of the class struggle in the North of Ireland. Also, the British imperialist state is at war with the oppressed nation of Afghanistan, a war which has become grossly unpopular, and increasingly heading toward a humiliating defeat. It has already been forced to retreat from its occupation of Iraq.

Moreover, the economic crisis is persevering, forcing the state to transfer the crisis to the oppressed countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The war and the economic crisis have compelled the ruling class to tighten the living conditions for the working class as well. The privatisation of the public sector, including the post office and even education, is accelerating. The ruling class is also resorting to more suppressive measures in this country, including facilitating the creation of fascist organisations, such as the English Defence League (EDL).

The parasitic system ruling Britain, particularly its structure of bourgeois democracy as well as its monopoly capitalist economy, has to a palpable extent lost the ‘confidence’ of the people. Evidently, the ruling class politicians and economists are unable to provide any proper solution to reverse this detrimental trend. For a growing number of working class and the masses it is becoming increasingly clear that the existing political system and its ruling politicians have no competency to solve the numerous people’s problems.

Now that the tip of the iceberg of ruling class corruption has surfaced, they are desperately running around striving to hide what lies below. Even within two weeks of the so-called ‘new’ politics of the Tory-Lib Dem government, one cabinet minister has already been forced to resign because of corruption. Major contradictions within the ruling class have intensified, hugely weakening the existing political structure, particularly the parliament. The ruling class infighting and the exposure of the members of the parliament’s expenses, undoubtedly has opened the way for revolutionaries to show that the whole system is corrupt and rotten to the core.

It is true that the whole structure is moribund and today the old cracks are widening and some pillars are splitting, but the monopoly capitalist ruling system will not crumble down spontaneously. Although there has been polarisation, rising levels of consciousness amongst the people and a loss of confidence in the ruling class, the continued prevalence of spontaneous thinking and the ability of the ruling class to maintain the illusion that it is the only viable system still play a decisive role. There is a definite need to explain to the people that the old structure should be demolished and be replaced with a new one. This immense and complicated task, which can only be carried out under the leadership of the proletariat, requires a careful plan based on the objective reality and particularities of Britain.

Indeed, communists need to investigate this society to formulate a scientific class analysis and on this basis work out a revolutionary strategy compatible to these particularities. However, these fundamental tasks can only be accomplished in the process of formation of a genuine Communist Party and a revolutionary movement under the leadership of the proletariat, and therefore, invariably depend on development of a correct ideological-political line. Hence, we need to develop a dialectical-materialist understanding of practice-theory-practice.

It is clear that the objective situation is increasingly becoming more favourable. However, there are several serious subjective problems that we communists need to address in order to build a proletarian-led revolutionary movement in Britain. The first and the most important problem is grasping the ideology of the proletariat, Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.

In this context, the experience of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) provides guidance in grasping this ideology. Their successful experience shows that ideological and political advances can only take place through the creation and development of a proletarian-led revolutionary movement, and also by adopting the method of involving the working class and the masses in major two-line struggles within the Party.

In India an impetuous people's war against the Indian bourgeoisie and the imperialism is developing and spreading more and more in nearly one third of the districts of the country. It is not simply a guerilla waged by few thousands of fighters, coming from the castes and tribal areas of the country. It is a real people's war,led by the Party of the proletariat of India,the Communist Party of India (Maoist), in which are involved - or is supported by - millions of poor peasants, women, "untouchables," fighting to free themselves and it has already took big areas throughout a dozen of states of the Indian Federation.

The people's war began where the root of the riot, the poverty, the tribal and capitalistic exploitation, the caste oppression, the plundering of the natural resources were deeper and therefore the contradictions brought by the Indian capitalism ruled by the imperialism were sharper. Today this people's war is winning masses of young people, students, democratic and revolutionary intellectuals also in the cities and gains attention and support over the world.

Against the people's war, the Indian State,supported by the imperialists, launched a giant repressive offensive called "Green Hunt," a real manhunt that hits the poor masses in India as animals to exterminate. The Indian State launched an internal military offensive against the people, waged by hi-tech-armed troops,police units and paramilitary militias, in order to spread terror and genocide in the villages, with raids, crop destroying, massive rapes and killings, selective murders, mass detentions and disappearing - like the recent genocide offensive occurred in Sri Lanka against the Tamil people and liberation movement.

All this with the illusion to drown in blood the struggle of the people for their liberation, with the silent/consent of the imperialist governments of US, Europe, Russia, and their mass-media. The crimes of the Indian State found the internal opposition of a wide front of intellectuals - including the prominent bepresentative of the world anti-globalization movement, the writer Arundhati Roy. And in all countries of the world political activists denounced those crimes and mobilized to stop "Green Hunt."

A world campaign of information and solidarity has been launched by ICAWPI (International Campaign Against War on the People in India).But we need more than the condemnation of the crimes of the counter-revolution in India. The masses led by the Communist Party of India (Maoist) are writing a historical chapter of the class clash in the world between, on one side,the imperialism and the reactionary bourgeoisies and, on the other side, the proletariat and the people of the world. The development of the people's war in India is a new proof that the revolution is the main tendency in the world today.

It shows again that Maoism, the Marxism-Leninism of our era, is the command and guide of the world revolution against the imperialism in crisis.

The vanguard proletarians must understand that the advance of the people's war in India seriously questions the strength balance, not only in the South-Asian region but also on a world scale. That is why we, Maoist and revolutionary parties and organizations, launch a big campaign of support and call to form an International Committee of Support to organize conferences, meetings, demonstrations in various countries, particularly in the heart of the imperialist beast.

Mumia Abu Jamal spoke from his cell on death row to a packed audience in Brixton London in a legal call from his lawyer Robert R. Bryan on evening of 10th June 2010.

He praised the activism in Britain and how more than a million people came out to demonstrate against the invasion of Iraq.

He made the point that activism is not a part time activity but a lifetime commitment.It is that commitment that is necessary for changing the world.

Those present broke out into spontaneous applause has Mumia spoke of the importance of struggle and the importance of ending the death penalty worldwide - it is the working class poor who are executed and not the middle classes and the rich.

Robert R Bryan made the point that Angela Davis was freed from a combination of mass mobilsation and legal struggle and freeing Mumia would require that combination of mass pressure and legal action.

Luwezi Kinshasa of the Afrikan Socialist International was the first speaker in support of the Mumia Abu Jamal international campaign and promised to raise the campaign to save Mumia throughout Afrika.

Luwezi Kinshasa made the point that the Obama phenomena was not new has it had been tried first in South Africa with Nelson Mandela.

He raised the historic contribution of Marcus Garvey and the idea of one Afrikan Nation and Socialism has being the solution to Afrika's problem of capitalist imperialist domination.

Glenn Watson of the Global Afrikan Congress spoke after the Mumia live call and the contribution of Robert R. Bryan.

Glenn Watson was surprised to learn that the US judicial system had put a time limit on evidence of racial abuse - has the trial judge comments at Mumia's trial to another law offical that he would "fry the nigger" could no longer be used has evidence of racism in the case of Mumia Abu -Jamal.

Racism lay at the core of Mumia's trial but this has been compounded by a multiplicity of unjust actions from the legal establishment which is determined has ever to kill Mumia by judicial process.

Mumia remains on death row under a death judgment. He is in greater danger than at any time since his arrest 28 years ago said Robert R. Bryan his lawyer.

Sara Callaway of Global Women's Strike reminded the audience of the publication in the next few days of Mumia's book Jailhouse Lawyers in the UK edited by Selma James who has visited Mumia in prison.

Tongogara of the George Jackson Socialist League concluded the meeting by an appeal to build a movement to free Mumia throughout Britain has part of the mass pressure worldwide that will be necessary to win Mumia's release and the end of the death penalty worlwide.

If you are interested in supporting the UK campaign to save Mumia Abu Jamal e mail us at:

The death penalty has the ultimate form of punishment is unacceptable in a civilized society and undermines human dignity. (U.N. General Assembly, Moratorium on the Use of the Death Penalty, Resolution 62/149, Dec. 18, 2007; reaffirmed, Resolution 63/168, Dec. 18, 2008.)

Mr. Abu-Jamal, a renowned black journalist and author, has been on Pennsylvania’s death row for nearly three decades.Mr Abu-Jamal has become a global symbol, the "Voice of the Voiceless", in the struggle against capital punishment and human-rights abuses. There are over 20,000 awaiting execution around the globe, with over 3,000 on death rows in the United States.

The 1982 trial of Mr. Abu-Jamal was tainted by racism, and occurred in Philadelphia which has a history of police corruption and discrimination. Amnesty International, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, "determined that numerous aspects of this case clearly failed to meet international standards safeguarding the fairness of legal proceedings. [T]he interests of justice would best be served by the granting of a new trial to Mumia Abu-Jamal. The trial should fully comply with international standards of justice and should not allow for the re-imposition of the death penalty." (A Life In the Balance - The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, at 34, Amnesty Int’l, 2000; www. Amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/001/2000.)

Sunday, June 6, 2010

The Red Flag was first raised in these islands during the Merthyr insurrection of 1831 - see the video I made four years ago below on the history of the Merthyr Rising which is dedicated to Merthyr's Communists.

Viva Palestina founder George Galloway, speaking to a crowd of around 20,000 protesting outside the Israeli Embassy in London, revealed the latest plan to bring about the end of the siege on Gaza.

Two simultaneous convoys - one by land the other by sea - will set forth on SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12th bound for Gaza. Viva Palestina, the International Committee to break the Siege on Gaza and any allies who will join us will organise the two convoys.

The land convoy will leave from London and travel across Europe to Turkey, Syria and ultimately through the Rafah Gate into Gaza. Co-operation will be offered and sought with all relevant governments and agencies. It is expected the convoy will pick up vehicles and volunteers in each country through which it passes. The target is to enter Gaza with 500 vehicles.

The sea convoy will travel around the Mediterranean gathering ships, cargo, volunteers from each country. The target is to enter Gaza with sixty ships.

The aim will be to arrive on Gaza's frontiers at the same time. And to enter with the world's largest ever aid convoys. And to thereby render the siege null and void.

Please get in touch if you need further information. Please also sign up to the Viva Palestina mailing list -

One of the Greek hostages speaks (2/6/2010)Exclusive interview of Aristides Papadokostopoulos(*) to the left weekly “Dromos”

Could you tell us what happened exactly from the moment of the attack?Just before 5 o’clock on Monday morning, the attack of the Israelis started on international waters, 70 miles off the coast of Gaza. First they attacked the large Turkish ship, which was transferring most of the activists, and afterwards the rest of the ships. The attack kicked off with real ammunition and had as result all these murders. They got on board also on the two passenger boats and on the Turkish boats, and then they came down on us, on the “Free Mediterranean”. We continued to move forward despite the warnings, because Israel does not have the right to run checks and stop ships on 70 nautical miles off the coastline. And this has to be condemned by the international community in its entirety. Israel can not act as the gendarme of the region, forbidding any access to Gaza. The commandos climbed up on board from inflatable boats, they hit us, and led us to a port, Ashdod. From there the psychological war started. The threat was “we deport you now or you go to prison”. We chose, some of us, to leave earlier, so that the matter becomes known in Greece. The others chose to stay there, because they do not recognise any suzerainty of Israel in international waters. The hostages were not illegal; Israel arrested them defying the maritime and international laws. When they brought us in Ashdod, that the following were hit by the Israelis: Vangelis Pissias, Yiannis Karipidis, and two more foreign activists: the American who played in the documentary ‘Gaza We Are Coming’ and the Swedish saxophone player who originally comes from Israel. They hit these ones in front of us. The port authorities, the army, the police, around 500 people were hitting them under conditions of lynching. And it is not an exaggeration when I say that 500 people were brutalizing them.

Where?In the entrance area of the port. At a large entrance, at the time that we had arrived at the port. There is where they hit them.

Why were they hitting them?They hit Vangelis Pissias because he was not giving his finger prints. They badly hit others as well, and in fact I actually saw them also doing injections to some activists. They had blocked us a bit to the side, all this mass of policemen and soldiers, and we couldn’t see very well. Despite that, I saw in front of me the injection being done to the American activist, so that he would fall down and remain still.

Something about electroshocks that was mentioned by the TV channels, is that valid?It’s true, yes, but not on the boat. They did it to Michalis Tiktopoulos. They electroshocked him in front of me. He was moving along and in order to get him out on to the port faster, a soldier took out a gun that produces electricity and hit him.

From the moment that you reached the port and afterwards, what was the situation? Unbearable psychological pressure. I have never seen anything like it before in my life. This country is run by the army. Unbelievable army force that one can not imagine. For example the exit to the airport, was absolutely full of armed personnel. It is unbelievable. It is a military state.

Aristides, one last thing: The rest of the others who have remained inside, who refused to sign, what is the process with them now? What will happen to them? Where have they been transferred?They are taking them to prison. Today the embassy and the ministry of foreign affairs will come in contact with them, also through a lawyer. Yesterday, when we were asking for a lawyer or anyone from the embassy, they were denying us. They weren’t letting us speak with neither the lawyer nor the embassy. Today they told the ministry of foreign affairs that they will allow the ministry to come in contact with the people. It was an unbearable situation. They were trying with every means to make you break and sign the deportation or do whatever else they wanted.

(*) He was on board the “Free Mediterranean” and held until yesterday as a hostage of the Israeli army. Source: www.edromos.gr

The main opposition Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-M) boycotted the House session on Thursday, saying that there has been a breach in May 28 three-point agreement.

Following the UCPN-M' boycott, the winter session of the Legislature-Parliament has been put off.

As per the House tradition, all the decisions regarding House procedures are taken with the consent of the main opposition party as well. House Speaker Subash Chandra Nemwang announced the postponement immediately after the UCPN-M boycotted the session.

The ruling allies and UCPN-M are still at odds over the prime minister's resignation as both the sides are sticking to their former stances.

While the UCPN-Ms have been demanding Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal's resignation before entering into any discussions, the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) have been stressing on implementation of past pacts of fixing the number of UCPN-M combatants to be integrated, return of seized properties and disbandment of UCPN-M' s Young Communist League.

On May 28, the UCPN-M had struck three-point deal with NC and CPN-UML before lending their support, crucial for amendment bill, for the Constituent Assembly's term extension.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Nepal is bracing for renewed political confrontation after a Maoist deadline for the resignation of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal expired Wednesday.

The leading parties in the ruling coalition -- Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal United Marxist-Leninist (UML) -- struck a deal with the main opposition Unified Communist Party of Nepal Maoist (UCPN-M) in the dying hours of May 28 to extend the term of the interim parliament by a year.

Under the terms of the 3-point deal the tenure of the Constituent Assembly (CA) would be extended and the parties would take decisive steps in the peace process while the prime minister would make way for a government of national consensus.

However, the agreement unravelled quickly with the Maoists giving Madhav Kumar “five days to resign”.

“They gave us a cheque,” Maoist Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai told the media. “We will soon go to the bank with that cheque. If it bounces, we know what to do